Highlights: Punjab reports 677 coronavirus cases, 19 deaths in last 24 hours

Rajasthan recorded 1,145 new Covid-19 cases and 13 deaths today, taking total cases to 45,555 out of which 12,785 cases are active. A total of 32,051 patients have been discharged after treatment so far: State Health Department

Punjab reported 677 Coronavirus cases and 19 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking total cases to 18,527 including 11,882 discharges and 442 deaths: State Health Department

Uttarakhand reported 207 new Coronavirus cases today, taking total cases to 7,800 out of which 3,134 cases are active: State Health Department

Karnataka reports 4,752 new Covid-19 cases and 98 deaths. Total cases rise to 1,39,571 out of which 74,469 are active patients.

Korea has International Vaccine Institute in Seoul and India is a very important partner there... India is always important in terms of vaccines and has strong pharma industry. Korea also has a couple of big companies working hard on vaccine (of Covid-19): Shin Bong-kil, Korean Envoy, reports ANI.

5,609 new Covid-19 cases and 109 deaths reported in Tamil Nadu in the last 24 hours, taking total cases to 2,63,222 including 2,02,283 discharges and 4,241 deaths. 58,211 samples were tested for the disease in the last 24 hours: State Health Department

Uttar Pradesh reported 4,473 new Covid-19 cases and 50 death in the last 24 hours, taking active cases to 40,191 and death toll to 1,778, according to ANI report.

A total of 55,393 have been discharged in the state so far.

WHO says completes groundwork in China for virus origin probe, according to AFP.

Vietnam reports 21 new Covid-19 infections, tally at 642 with 6 deaths.

The World Health Organization warned on Monday that while there were strong hopes for a Covid-19 vaccine, there might never be a "silver bullet" for the coronavirus that has infected millions around the world.

"There is no silver bullet at the moment and there might never be," director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual news briefing from the U.N. body's headquarters in Geneva.

Britain is on track to deliver half a million Covid tests a day by the end of October and new 90-minute tests will allow the government to accelerate that target, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Monday, according to Reuters report.

Twenty-eight more people, including 20 security personnel, have tested positive for Covid-19 in Meghalaya, taking the northeastern state's virus count to 902 on Monday, officials said.

Twenty-one new cases were reported in East Khasi Hills district, under which Shillong falls, while five fresh infections were registered in Ri-Bhoi and two in West Jaintia Hills districts, they said.

President Ram Nath Kovind celebrated Raksha Bandhan with nurses of The Trained Nurses’ Association of India, Military Nursing Service and President’s Estate Clinic.

"The President appreciated role of nurses as saviours in the fight against Covid-19: President’s Secretariat," ANI tweeted.

Kerala High Court extends ban on all protests in public places until August 31, in view of Covid-19 pandemic and the guidelines issued by the Union Government. On July 15, the Court had banned all public protests until July 31.

Singapore's Covid-19 cases crossed 53,000 on Monday after 226 fresh infections, mostly migrant workers living in dormitories, were detected across the country, according to the health ministry, reports PTI.